In the Community

January 28, 2010

Denver Children Get Vaccinated in School

Thousands of Denver Public School children are getting immunized against potentially life-threatening diseases, thanks to an innovative new program bringing vaccines into schools.

The $1.6 million initiative is being funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in partnership with Denver Public Schools, Denver Health and Kaiser Permanente. The goal is to increase childhood immunization rates by making it easier and more convenient for families to access key vaccinations. Historically, childhood immunization rates in Colorado have been among the lowest in the nation.

What makes this program unique is that vaccines are offered to the entire student body, free of charge. Consent forms are signed by parents or guardians at home and the vaccines are administered by medical professionals during the school day. Parents do not have to pay. Instead, insurance companies are billed for vaccines given. This is a new approach public health experts hope will keep the effort financially sustainable, allowing it to be replicated across the country if successful.

Denver Public Schools has been rolling out the program in 20 of its elementary and eight middle/K-8 grade schools. It has reached 2,500 students to date and has the potential to reach thousands more.

Children in the elementary schools will be offered influenza vaccinations. Children in the middle schools will be offered vaccines targeted at the adolescent age group, including meningococcal vaccine, tetanus-diphtheria-acellular pertussis (Tdap) vaccine, and for females, human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine. Seasonal influenza vaccine, H1N1 vaccine, and any other vaccines they may have missed at younger ages will also be offered.

Immunizations have been delivered in schools before, including in Colorado through the Vaccines for Children program. However, these efforts typically involve short-lived donations or target under-served populations exclusively. This is believed to be the first program to offer immunizations to all students regardless of socio-economic or health insurance status.

For more information, read this news release.